If you are proud of your azaleas, the last thing you want is to lose them. Therefore, surely you have searched for information about its reproduction. But if we asked you, Could you tell us what are the steps to follow to reproduce azaleas by seeds or cuttings?
If you have come here because you are looking for the same thing, we are going to give you some useful tips that will help you multiply your plant easily. This way you will have two or more identical to the mother plant. Shall we start?
How is the reproduction of azaleas
Before talking to you about the ways to multiply azaleas, focusing on seeds and cuttings, it is important that you know a little about this task.
To begin with, multiplication takes place when the plant is ready for it. That is, when it is large enough to be able to take cuttings, or to flower strongly. But also when it has grown so much that it already occupies the pot and needs to be divided.
And, when it comes to propagating azaleas, there are not only the two methods we are going to focus on, but there is a third, dividing the bushes. This is quite easy to do since it is usually done when the plant is going to be transplanted (or to renew the substrate). When removing the plant from the pot, the soil can be removed and then divided into several to be placed in different pots.. Actually, you will have the same plant, because it is the easiest and fastest way to propagate it and make it more or less adult.
But focusing on the two methods, we will deepen you about them.
Multiply azaleas by seeds
Propagate azaleas from seeds is an easy method to do. But it has some problems, the main one being the time it will take. And we are talking about planting a plant from scratch, so you will have to wait a while for it to grow to the point of calling it a "seedling", from there to a young plant and from there to an adult.
Generally, you will need two to three years to actually have an azalea. Furthermore, since they are seeds, and even if they come from your best plant, it does not guarantee that it will be the same as this one.
Even so, if you want to try it, or if you consider it as a challenge to take care of a plant during that time, the steps you should follow are the following:
collect the seeds
If you have never seen azalea seeds before, you should know that they will be inside the capsules that emerge after flowering. They are dark brown in color, but you have to open them to get the seeds inside.
Germinate the seeds
Once you have the seeds, it is necessary to germinate them. To do this you have two options:
- Plant it directly in acidic soil (you already know that it is ideal for azaleas).
- Pass it before about twenty-four hours by water so that the process begins.
Both methods work well if you keep them in good humidity. what you need at the beginning to get ahead.
If you plant it, use seedbeds.
And now it will be time to arm yourself with patience because you will not see results until approximately a month after you plant it and it germinates.
Multiply azaleas through cuttings
If instead of the seeds you prefer a method somewhat faster to reproduce azaleas, cuttings can be a good way to achieve it.
And here we talk to you about the steps you should take.
Pick the cuttings
A cutting is a branch from the mother plant. Once flowering ends, you should clean and prune your azalea to remove dead, weak, or problematic branches. But it will also help you select those branches that could be great cuttings. If you take into account that the flowering of the azaleas is in spring, we are talking about July to September to plant the cuttings that you take and that they take root before the cold sets in.
Make sure you cut it with pruning shears that are sharp and, above all, disinfected.
You have to make sure that the Cuttings are three to four inches long.
Planting the cuttings
Once you have the azalea cuttings, the next step is to fill the pots with acidic soil and plant one or two cuttings in them at most. These "branches" will take at least two months to take root, so you should watch if you see anything unusual on the branches. For example, they begin to dry, the leaves fall off, or there is no change in their condition.
What some do is also put cuttings in water. It is another technique although in this case you must be more on top to prevent being in an aquatic environment from ending up withering and drowning the cutting.
If you are wondering if it is a good idea to use rooting hormones, the answer is yes. You can apply this hormone directly to the cutting before planting it; or you can add it to the water where the branch will be, hoping that there will be some change in it.
What care do seeds need once planted?
Before we have told you about how to propagate azaleas by seeds. But, once planted, do we forget about them until they germinate and grow? The truth is that no.
You see, assuming that you have planted them at the end of winter, or early spring, which is the ideal time to do so, some important care to take into account are the following:
- Make sure the temperature is constant. And always above fourteen degrees Celsius.
- While The best location for azaleas is outdoors, When you cannot guarantee a good temperature it is better to place it indoors or in a greenhouse.
- Try to keep the soil moist. You need it for the seed to follow its course.
- Only when you see that the plant has grown and has some leaves will it be time to move it from the seedbed to a pot so that it continues to grow. You will have to provide lighting, irrigation and some fertilizer.
What care do cuttings need once planted?
Finally, here are some tips to care for your cutting so that it becomes a large azalea bush:
- Always use peat moss and perlite with a mainly acidic substrate.
- Keep the soil moist, but not to the point that it is waterlogged.
- During the first days of the cutting it would not hurt to make a kind of greenhouse. To do this, place a transparent plastic bag on top. You will ensure that it maintains adequate humidity and, at the same time, the temperature. But, be careful, because if there is a lot of humidity and you have also watered it, you can kill the future plant.
- Place the pot in a bright area, but not in direct sunlight.
Reproducing azaleas by seeds or cuttings is no longer going to be something that you fear, or respect, but rather that you will dominate. Now you just need to practice. Remember that, even if not all of the ones you plant come out, with time and experience, you will see what works best for the "children" of your plant to get ahead. Do you have any more tips you would like to share with others?